New Delhi ,March 7: With many party MPs hinting they would support the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the Janata Dal (United) has called a meeting of its parliamentarians on Monday morning to formulate a final view amid differences between senior party leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and party chief Sharad Yadav over the issue.

The RJD, which has steadfastly been opposing the bill, has issued whips to its Rajya Sabha MPs to oppose the proposed legislation, while the SP decided to issue whips only after its parliamentary party meeting on Monday.
A senior JD(U) leader who sought anonymity said the party was likely to accept Mr Kumar’s viewpoint, “although nothing final can be said at this juncture”. His remarks are significant as the JD(U), which has seven MPs in the Rajya Sabha and 20 in the Lok Sabha, is yet to make up its mind on whether to issue any whip to its MPs, though the party has been opposing the bill in its present form for over a decade.
Asked about the controversy, JD(U) Rajya Sabha chief whip Ali Anwar said: “It is true that two different opinions have come on the issue. Hence we have called a meeting of MPs at party leader Sharad Yadav’s residence tomorrow, where we will discuss and reach a final conclusion.”
Mr Anwar said the party would take a decision keeping in mind the interest of the “country, people and situation of the day”. Asked why the party had not issued a whip, he said it was not necessary to always issue whips “to force MPs”.
There are indications that the JD(U), at its meeting, might decide not to issue a whip and allow MPs to decide which way to vote according to their own conscience.
Mr Anwar, however, said the MPs would not abstain from voting. “It will be either this way or that way,” he added.
Samajwadi Party chief whip Shailendra Kumar said: “We will have a meeting of our MPs tomorrow morning just before Parliament commences to discuss our strategy. Although all our MPs are following the party line of opposing the bill, we will also issue a whip so that nobody goes against the party stand.”
RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Prem Chand Gupta said: “The party has issued a whip asking its members to protest against the bill in its present form.”

Age Correspondent